Sheldon's Watch
by Halley the Comet
Summary: Sheldon always wears a watch. Nobody ever really noticed and they didn't ask, but he wore it for a reason.


**I got this idea when I was listening to Gorillaz on YouTube. I never realised how great they were until now.**

**So this is kind of a different story than my other ones. When I wrote it I thought it would be more serious than my other ones….so I hope you'll like it.**

* * *

'Sheldon,' George Cooper slurred, bringing the bottle to his mouth and taking a swig. 'Hey Sheldon…come here.' He beckoned to his eleven year old son.

Sheldon looked at his father, hiding his uncertainty. He didn't like it when his father had been drinking. It seemed to give him a mixture of personalities – some days he would be happy, others he would shout until Mary threatened to lock him out of the house. He knew today his father wasn't as drunk as he usually would be – his mother had poured a lot of the alcohol down the sink, telling George they weren't allowed it in the house any more. This hadn't stopped him from going to the store and buying some more though.

'Why?' Sheldon asked, neatening the stack of papers that lay on the table, and putting his pen down next to them, straightening it carefully.

'I need to talk to you.' George put down his beer, looking almost serious for a moment. 'Come on, boy. I haven't got all day.'

Sheldon sighed and went over to the sofa, sitting next to his dad. The smell of drink seemed to drift off him like smoke. He tried not to grimace.

Whenever he saw his father drunk, he vowed he would never do the same. Even when he was of legal age he decided he would never touch a drop of alcohol, if he could help it.

He saw what it did to his father, and he didn't want to end up the same.

'So you're off to college soon,' George said, and for a minute he sounded almost sober. 'Only eleven…off to college.'

'Yes, I'm going to study physics and earn my PhD.' Sheldon said this proudly, his mind already mapped out the path in his life.

'Good,' George said, the slur back in his voice. 'It's good to know where you're going with your life.' He laughed dryly for a few moments, while Sheldon watched him blankly. For a second he wondered if his father had even heard what he had just said.

When George had calmed down and drunk slightly more beer, he looked at Sheldon again. 'Listen Sheldon…I know that I'm not alwaysss….always the best dad. Even… if a mug says it.' He laughed again, and then shook his head. 'But I try to be there f…for you. And you know, with me and your mom, things aren't so good. I guess sometimes I forget…' George stared at Sheldon for a minute, as if he had forgotten what he was about to say. 'S…sometimes I forget what you have to put up with…'

Sheldon looked into his father's eyes, which was rare for him as he usually didn't like eye contact. They were blue, like his own. Apparently he had 'his daddy's eyes', according to his mom.

'Um…' he said slowly, unsure of what to say.

'No, Sheldon.' George held up his hand. 'Stay here.' Well, it was rather pointless saying that, seeing as he wasn't planning on going anywhere. Sheldon watched his father walk out of the room, stumbling slightly.

* * *

After a few minutes he returned, carrying a wooden box in his hands. George sat back down on the sofa, and opened the box.

Sheldon looked inside the box, with sudden interest. 'Is that your watch?' he asked, wondering why his father was showing it to him. True, he had always liked that watch, despite its fairly plain look.

'It is,' George told him, slurring slightly again. 'I knew you liked it.' He paused and looked at the watch, his expression unreadable, and then shook his head a little. 'S…so you can have it. If you want.' He took the watch from the box, taking Sheldon's wrist with surprising care, and fastened it as best as he could. The watch hung off Sheldon's skinny wrist, and yet Sheldon thought it fit perfectly.

'Why are you giving me your watch?' Sheldon asked.

George's first thought was to be offended, but then he realised it was a fairly reasonable question. 'I suppose that when you go off and become… Doctor Cooper…you'll still have something from me with you.'

Sheldon put a finger on the watch, and then twisted the strap around his wrist, trying to think of what to say. His father, who seemed to have sobered up slightly, watched him, waiting for his son to say something.

'Thank you, Dad,' Sheldon said.

He looked at his dad, and George smiled at his son. It wasn't a fake smile, or a smirk that he often wore, but this time it was genuine. However, the moment was broken when Mary shouted downstairs to her husband about missing plates, and Sheldon was left watching his father yell back to his mother as he walked up the stairs.


End file.
